The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-12
THE GLAD EASTER TINE.
Easter-The Feast of the Resur
rectfon-Origin of the Term
Customs and Practices I'm
Different Countries.

The festival of Easter, as celebrated
by the Christian churches of to-day,
owes its origin to ancient and pagan
rites and customs. The word itself be-
ing derived from the name of the Pa
gan Saxon goddess, "Eastra," whose
feast was originally celebrated every
year, in the spring about the same
time as the Christian festival, the
name being retained, when the charac-
ter OF the feast changed.
The origin of this festival is claimed
by several countries-Or it would be
better to say, festivals Of similar
character were celebrated among the
Pagans, about the same time each
year and apparently with the same
purpose. With the Greeks, "Pasga, :"
signifying passage-among the He
brews. the ''Paschal Feast, or Jewish
Passover. In commemOration of the de-
liverance from Egypt; in Germany, in
honor to "Ostera," the Teutonic god
dess of spring, and the Saxon goddess,
"Eastra." Again, the word Easter"
is said to be derived from "Oster" or
"Osten," signifying "rising and OPEN
ing of, which is probably the truer
Interpretation OF the word. If this be
correct, Easter is in name as we'll as
reality, the feast of the resurrection. !"
The more reasonable, and / think APP
propriate view to take, is, that before
the Christian era, the festival among
the Pagans, was in honor TO the
spring" or the opening of flowers,
and budding OF fruit and grain, and
emble matical OF the resurrection of
new life from the old-as We to-day
use a s.mile-in the grain which is
planted in the earth to decay, that
new and better life should come. So
the
EARLY CHRISTIAN FATHERS
saw In this same feast another signifi-
canoe, namely, the death and resur-
rection of our Lord, that the children
of men should not perish, "but have
everlasting life.
The time at which the festival of
Easter occurs is now generally under
stood by persons of all religious de-
nominations to be the first Sunday,
after the full moon, after the DIST of
March, except when the full moon
shall occur on Sunday, then the next
Sunday shall be Easter. This is the
time fixed by the Emperor Constan-
tine in the fourth century. Owing to
the many disputes which had arisen
among the different sets and sections
Of his empire as to the exact day on
which Easter falls, Constantine was
forced to stop the quarrel in some eff
tective manner. His decree was terse
and verbatim, as follows:
/. The 21st day of March shall be
the vernal equinox.
2. The full moon happening upon
or next after the 2lst of March shall
be taken as the full moon of the
'Nisau."
3. That the Lords day next follow
ing the full moon be Easter day.
4. But. if the full moon happen
upon Sunday, Easter day shall be
Sunday after.
This decree was confirmed by the
council at Nice. and afterwards be-
came one Of the laws Of the Episcopal
and Catholic churches, since which
time the festival of Easter has been
universally celebrated OH the day APP
pointed by the Emperor Constantine,
400 years ago.
EASTER CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES.
On Easier morning the primitive
Christians saluted each other with the
words: Christ is risen," to which
the response was /: Christ is risen,
in deed, and hath appeared to
Simon" The Greek church still re-
tains this custom. In Vorarlberg, in
Tylor, young men formed themselves
in companies, and would go from
house to house, singing Easter carols.
These carolers were always received
with great respect, and Easter cakes
and eggs were to found in the houses
of the rich and poor alike, prepared
before, and freely distributed among
the singers.
The "watch fires, Tin the hill cotn-
tries between the Danube and the
Rhine, were also a popular custom
many esRtsrissaago.p0' Preparations
were made some DAYS before, and the
highest hills and mountains were sc.
lected. At midnight the fires on the
mountains in the extreme eastern
provinces were first lighted, which
was the signal for the others, which